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'Is 300 a good GRE score to apply abroad?'

In an online chat with readers Anshika Singh, Senior Vice President -- Student Engagement at Univariety, offered advice on how to pick the right course and apply to an international university.

Before you sign up for a course abroad, there are a few things you need to look into.

Given the abundant options, be sure to pick a course that best matches your aptitude and also fits within your budget.

You may also want to consider the future job opportunities and the challenges you'll have to face while pursuing the course in a foreign country.

In an online chat with Rediff.com readers, our higher education planning expert Anshika Singh from Univariety shared advice on how to pick the right course and counselled them on international admissions, application deadlines and more.

For those who missed the live chat, here's the unedited transcript:

Abhishek Tiwari: Can you please guide me to some good university providing PG in Event Management or media. What are the admission criteria and placement scenerio. Please let me know about such universities.

Anshika Singh: You can consider National Institute of Event Management in Delhi. It offers PG diploma . Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication also offers a wonderful course –PG diploma in corporate communication and events management . Prospects of event management is good if you get a break with top organisations like Wizcrafts and the likes.

Vijay: Hi, I have recently completed my BTech in Electrical n Electronics with a cgpa of 6.8 n my GRE n Toefl score are 300 and 96 respectively.I would like to do my MS in USA. So i would like to know which universities i can apply for fall 2014.

Anshika Singh: Admission are no doubt competitive. You should create your college list in such a way that you have some safe options as well. Do not apply to just the aspiration colleges. This is one of the most common students make

vijay: I am interested in studying abroad. When do you suggest I should begin the application and planning process?

Anshika Singh: You should start the process at least a year before the admission intake you are targeting. In the case of USA, process starts at least 18 months before. Australia and NZ, you can start the process 6-7 months before the intake.

rk vivitha: My Daughter is doing A level in IGCSEO ABROAD FOR ug.. Any suggestion of countries. She would prefer biotech curriculum in India

Anshika Singh: I recommend UK for two reasons, G.C.SE is British curriculum and she will be welcomed by UK universities and might be given some advantage. Secondly, UK offers very good Biotechnology and Bio-informatics kind of courses. Also, bachelors degree in UK is just 3 years as compared to any other international country. You should also explore universities in Ireland.

utkarsh tiwari: I am a practising Lawyer with around 10 years of experience. I want to pursue LL.M in Intellectual Property Laws. Please suggest good colleges/universities for the same with thier fee structure. Thanks

Anshika Singh: I suggest you to consider pursuing LLM from UK and from one of the following universities - LSE, King's College, UCL, Nottingham Law School, Queen Mary School of London. All of them are offering LLM in Intellectual Property Law. Duration of LLM course in UK is just one year and is a good value for money. Tuition fees will vary anywhere between 15,000 to 20,000 pounds.

rk vivitha: In Germany, UG courses are free without fee??

Anshika Singh: Yes, they offer scholarships to academically bright students. Students with 90 per cent and above in Class 12 stand good chance.

pusarla kumar: I am Praveen B Tech, ME with 10 years of exp in IT Services with lot of global exposure. Can you please suggest a good 1 year full time MBA programs. (executive Programs). Also can you suggest me good Online MBA programs as well.

Anshika Singh: I do not recommend you to pursue online MBA programmes .You will gain much value. I suggest you to consider one year executive management courses with ISB Hyderabad or the IIM's

Vik vik: Hi, My brother is currently doing his Phd in Agricultre Bio Technology...What he can do to have better future. Can he able to pursue his dream to become scientist with limited opportunity he has in India or does he need to look outside India to pursue his dream? If yes then which country provides better opportunity and how to approach?

Anshika Singh: In India, research prospects are not as bright as it is countries like UK,USA,Australia,NZ and Canada. Countries like Australia and NZ offer a number of opportunities in Agriculture. Either your brother can take a transfer to these countries for PhD or he can pursue post-doctoral degrees after he completes his PhD. Each of these country has lot of funding available for research aspirants.
Approach the universities which are offering research in Agriculture and related fields with a research proposal and a good CV. Universities will start responding back to you. Also appear for entrance tests like IELTS/TOEFL and GRE.

mohit borde: I have done my BEIT from Pune university with aggregate of 57 my gre score is 280 I have to give my toefl yet. What are the chances of getting universities in us for MS fall 2014? Thank you.

Anshika Singh: Your GRE score is decent but your aggregate has fallen low. Do you have any backlogs as well? If you have less than 10 backlogs then you can apply to universities like Kent State University, Idaho State University and the likes.

Vinayak Tavade: What academic requirements must I fulfill while considering a course abroad?

Anshika Singh: Entry criteria varies from country to country. Countries like UK,Australia,NZ,Canada mostly base their admission decision on your current or previous qualification achieved whereas in the case of USA, universities also look at the tests scores like SAT, GRE and GMAT. Decide on the country asap so that you can gain clarity on the entry requirement and prepare yourself well for the admission.

Aatish Jagmanani: Are there any scholarships to help pay for study abroad?

Anshika Singh: Scholarships are in plenty these days. You need to two things(1) Start your research for scholarships early and understand their entry criteria. Each scholarship criteria will vary (2) Prepare well and apply as early as possible.

Sonal: Can I take classes in English if I study in country where the local language is not English?

Anshika Singh: You can take classes .Yes. You need to check if the classes are available.I do not advise you though to take this route. You should rather take up all the preparatory courses in India and go abroad for the main course when you are meeting all the criteria. This will help you maximize on the opportunity.

Abdul Warith: In general, what are the deadlines for applications and scholarships?

Anshika Singh: It depends which country you are considering applying to. For all the top universities in any country, you should apply at least 10-11 months in advance especially when you are aiming for scholarships. In most of the countries, you are considered for scholarships only if you have received an offer from the university, Therefore, submit your applications early and then apply for scholarship.

suman singh: Can I take 'professional' classes while I am abroad? For example, Law or Business classes?

Anshika Singh: You can not take full time courses if you are on travel visa. You can however take up summer courses or any other short professional courses of duration 2-3 months.

nitesh arora: Is 300 a good GRE score to get admission to respected college for MS in computer science in Canada?

Anshika Singh: It is a very good score. Most of the universities will consider you. Start applying as the deadlines are approaching.